Zoox is building a fully autonomous, purpose-built robotaxi, and high-definition maps are a foundational input to how our vehicles perceive, predict, and plan. As Senior Manager / Director, Cartography, you will lead the organization responsible for creating, maintaining, and validating the HD maps that enable Zoox to launch and scale service across new cities and operational design domains (ODDs). You will manage multiple teams, including in-house cartographers and contractor/vendor mapping teams, and partner closely with Autonomy, Mapping Software, Safety, and Operations to deliver accurate, fresh, and safety-validated maps on schedule.
In this role, you will:
- Lead and grow multiple cartography teams, including managers, senior cartographers, and contractor/vendor mapping teams.
- Own HD map creation and annotation for new ODDs, driving throughput, quality, and cost to meet launch timelines.
- Own map maintenance and change detection processes to keep maps fresh as road networks, construction, and infrastructure change.
- Define and enforce map QA and validation standards, quality gates, and map release processes in partnership with Safety and Autonomy.
- Set a unified, prioritized roadmap balancing new-city expansion, map freshness, and quality improvements.
- Manage vendor relationships, including onboarding, training, capacity planning, SLAs, and quality audits.
- Partner with Mapping Software and ML teams to define tooling and automation requirements that improve cartographer productivity.
- Establish metrics and reporting on map quality, coverage, throughput, and turnaround time, and present progress to senior leadership.
Qualifications
- 8+ years of experience in cartography, GIS, HD mapping, or a related geospatial field, including 3+ years managing managers and/or multiple teams.
- Deep understanding of HD map content (lane geometry, topology, traffic controls, semantics) and annotation workflows.
- Experience running large-scale map production, maintenance, and QA programs.
- Proven experience managing distributed teams, including contractors or external vendors.
- Track record of defining process, quality metrics, and operational rigor at scale.
- Strong cross-functional leadership and communication skills, including presenting to senior stakeholders.
Bonus Qualifications
- HD mapping experience in autonomous vehicles or robotics.
- Hands-on experience with GIS/geospatial tooling (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS) and map formats.
- Experience with ML-assisted map generation, automated change detection, or annotation automation.
- Background working in a safety-critical environment.
Skills Required
- 8+ years of experience in cartography, GIS, HD mapping, or a related geospatial field
- 3+ years managing managers and/or multiple teams
- Deep understanding of HD map content, including lane geometry, topology, traffic controls, semantics, and annotation workflows
- Experience running large-scale map production, maintenance, and QA programs
- Experience managing distributed teams, contractors, or external vendors
- Track record of defining processes, quality metrics, and operational rigor at scale
- Strong cross-functional leadership and communication skills, including presenting to senior stakeholders
- HD mapping experience in autonomous vehicles or robotics
- Hands-on experience with GIS or geospatial tooling such as QGIS or ArcGIS and map formats
- Experience with ML-assisted map generation, automated change detection, or annotation automation
- Background working in a safety-critical environment
Zoox Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Zoox and has not been reviewed or approved by Zoox.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare is extensive, with broad medical and vision options, company‑paid disability coverage, and multiple mental‑health resources. Feedback suggests coverage breadth and auxiliary programs support a wide range of needs.
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Parental & Family Support — Family supports include paid parental leave, additional pregnancy disability time, fertility coverage, and adoption/surrogacy assistance. Backup care and family‑oriented programs further reinforce support across life stages.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Day‑to‑day perks are robust, including free daily meals, fitness subsidies, commuter support, and on‑site amenities. Feedback suggests these lifestyle benefits enhance convenience and workplace experience, especially for office‑based roles.
Zoox Insights
What We Do
Zoox is an autonomous mobility company that was founded to provide a safer, cleaner, and more enjoyable future on the road. To achieve that goal, the company has spent the past 10 years creating a purpose-built robotaxi that gives the world a better way to ride.
Why Work With Us
At Zoox, we are working to solve one of the greatest technological challenges of our generation. From the beginning, we have been focused on our goal of reimagining transportation from the ground up. We are a mission-driven community of innovators working together to create a safer, cleaner, and more enjoyable future on the road.
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